Our top tips
1. Check your computer - it may already have video editing software installed, such as Movie Maker with Windows XP or iMovie on a Mac. if not, you can download trial software for free, or buy one of the many packages available. More

2. Be organised. Keep a record of your shots while directing or work from a storyboard. It will help you put your film together more easily. More

3. You're not making an MTV video so don't cut from scene to scene every other second - it looks awful.More

4. Experiment when editing to see what type of cuts work best with your film. More
5. Remember continuity when editing. Things like light can change between scenes and when you put two scenes together, they'll look different. More
Expert tip
 Anne V Coates - Oscar-winning editor of Lawrence Of Arabia
"I don't like when it's so quick you don't see what's happening. What's the point in having the shot?"
Don't cut too quickly. Trust your shots.
Your top tips
Add in close-ups (cutaways) to greatly enhance a scene or mood. This is also great for showing the viewer what to look at, i.e., have a medium shot of a kitchen and a cutaway of a kitchen knife. Seth D'arcy Schewe

When you edit, try and get a variety of shots in there (ie close up, wide, medium, long etc.). This is especially good in a short film and makes it more exciting and if the shot selection is good enough, it will leave the viewer feeling involved, even in a short period of time.Luke Temple

Remember, half the emotion comes from the editing, if you get it right there will be a big wow factor, but if you get it wrong your film will look feeble. Editing is possibly the most important part of the filming process. Luke Temple (again!)

Get a Mac! Simple as that. iMovie 4 is the best movie editor the world has to offer, apart from Final Cut Pro, but that cost lots of money. Tom Stringer

If available on your video editor or camcorder, please deinterlace your video footage. Interlaced footage looks like newscast and sterile. Solaar

Use multi-angles, film a scene, then move the camera and film it again. Then chop them up in editing and mold them together. Matt Pearman

My film's got five cuts in it. That might have been too many... Keith, Worcester

The editing software on my PC is really easy. Adding fancy effect swas just a matter of dragging and dropping. Marcus, Aberdeen